Shoe for protecting pianos



May l5, 1928.

. l. H. JOHNSON SHOE FOR PROTECTING PIANOS Filed April .17. '1926 Patented May- 15, 1928.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

SHOE FOR PROTECTING PLANOS.

Application filed April 17, 1926. Serial No. 102,823.

rlhis invention relates to shoes or covers for protecting pianos when moving or handling the same and more particularly t0 means for protecting the toes of upright pianos.

The object is to provide a simple and in expensive cover which may be easily and quickly `applied to the forward or toe end of the heavy base member employed at either side of ordinary upright pianos and to the lower portion of the usual leg or pedestal for supporting the key-board, such portions being generally subjected to the greatest danger of damage when being passed tl'irough doors and windows during the operation of moving the same, as ordinary cov-ers usually employed to protect the piano proper do not extend to these points and citer no protection thereto.

Another objectis to provide a protecting cover of this character which will. retain its normal shape to be applied in position witlioiit.-,the necessity of specially arranging same for the purpose, said cover being, at the same time, formed of fiexible material provided with a soft lining where contacting with thehighly polished surfaces of the piano, andrhaving no stiff metallic or similar parts to scratch or otherwise mar such surfaces.

Av full and complete understand-ing of the invention may be obtained from a considera tion of the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, it being understood that while the `drawing shows a practical form of the invention, the latter is not to be confined to strict conform-- ity with the showing thereof, but may be changed or modiiied, so long as such changes or modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention, as specifically point-ed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing, in which similar refer ence characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a piano having the improved shoe or protector applied thereto.

Figure 2 is an enlarged view in side elevation, the invention being shown in section.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the invention removed from the piano.

Figure l is a` plan view, on a reduced scale, of the blank from which the shoe .or protector is formed. v

Serious damage is often done to the eX- posed lower vportions of pianos iny moving the same from place to place, especially when it is necessary to pass them through doors and windows, either while in the hands of the piano movers yor when sus pended from afblock and fall, and this is particularly` true of the aforementioned parts of the piano, for the reason that the usual piano cover, which is open at the bottom, does not protect these parts and is often lifted by the piano movers iny order to enable them to grasp the heavy basemember or sill for lifting the same and thus further exposing these `parts to damage.

The invention is'designed to provid-e separate covers for each side of the ordinary upright piano to be easily and quickly applied to the front ends of the toes and the lower portions of the legs or pedestals, and to be readily secured in position to remain thereon untily ythe moving operations are completed, and to be then readily detached.

To this endv the illustrated embodiment ofy the invention comprises` a flexible casing` formed of heavy canvas or duck or other suitable material and cut into the form of the blank illustrated in Figure 4 of the drawing, said blank comprising an intermediate portion to constitute' a front wall l of theV completed shoe, the marginal portions of said blank beingintegrally joined to said front walland adapted, when bent at right angles thereto, to constitute side walls 2 which are preferably somewhat less in width than the front wall.

The intermediate portion of said blank which constitutes the front wall is extended at the lowerl end to comprise a bottom wall 3 which is integrally connected thereto and is of the vsame width as the front wall, and when the side walls 2 and the bottom wall 3 are bent perpendicularly in the same directionla-nd along the dotted lines of Figure 4t, itwill be seen that an open pocket or shoe is provided, the side edges of said bottom wall being suitably stitched to the adjacent lower edges 3a ofthe side walls 2 to retain said pocket or shoe in shape.

The side Walls 2 are provided at their lower ends with rearwardly extending wings or `flaps 4, and the exposed marginal "edges of all the parts are held and reinforced by binding,I extending entirely around the same.

At the upper ends of the side walls 2 there areiprovided strings or tapes 6, terminally attached and extending rearwardly so as to allow their free ends to beused in attaching the device in place, and secured to the upper, rear corners of the side flaps or wings 4 are other similar strings or ta-pes 7- for the samepu'rpose. y

The inner faces of the front and side walls as well as the bottom wall and sidewings are all lined with a soft felt lining 8 where coming into contact with the highly polished surfaces of the piano, and said lining and theouter canvas casing are held together and the entire device strengthened by suitable rows of stitching 9 which may traverse y the faces or walls in any suitable manner and extend diagonally or otherwise.

In applying the device in protecting position on thefront end of the .toeA of the piano, the bottomwall 3 extends across beneath said toe `inA advance of the castorfC,

` and the front and side walls cover the end and sides of said toe, with the side wings 4 y moving forwardly while the lower portion of the device is held from forwardmove` extending rearwardly along the side faces of lthe same. The upper portions of the front and `side vwalls extend around the front and side faces of the base portion of "the leg or pedestal B and are held to the' latter by means ofthe tapes 6 which are tied around same to prevent the shoe from falling or ment by means of the tapes 7 passing across the upper face'of the toe A, the two sets of tapes being suitably tied in a manner to permitof the ready removal of the shoe or protector.

From the foregoing it will be seen that a simple and cheaply manufactured device has been provided which may be easily and y quickly applied in position .to protect the pedestal and toe portions of upright pia-nos during theoperation of moving the same;

What is claimed is y l. A shoe for protecting the toes of pianos comprisinffa flexible casing having a front wall and lntegral side and bottom walls to receive and partially surround the end of the toe and the base `portion of the leg or pedestal of the piano, and means for securing the same in place. y y

2. A shoe for protecting the toes of pianos comprising a casing cut and sewed to form opposite side walls joined by an integral front wall `and adapted to cover and protect the sides and front faces ofthe toe and Wings to be tied over the toe, and strings' or tapesconnected to thepupper` ends of the side walls to be tied around the leg or ped estal. y

3. An article of the class described comprising a shoe or casing having a front wall,

side walls and a .bottom wall all connected together and adapted'to cover and protect the toe and pedestal at either side oan upright piano, said side wallsbeingv of sub` stantially the same widthmas the bottom wall and having rearwardly extending side' Wings at their lower ends to extend along the sides of thetoe beyondthe pedestal, strings Vor tapes secured to the upper, rear corners of `theside walls tobe tied aroundv the pedestal, Aand `strings ortapes secured tothe upper rear corners of the side wings "to be tied around the toe to secure the shoe or casing in place, said walls and wings having a soft lining to contact with the'polished surfaces of the pedestal and toe and also being suitably force theA same.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing asV my own, I have hereto affixed my signature.`

stitched at intervals to rein* JESSE HAYsE JoHNsoN. c A 

